1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for sealing containers for prevention of evaporation of volatile chemicals in the container. More particularly it relates to a device which mounts to a variety of conventional paint containers allowing the container to be used for storage of brushes and rollers inside the container during non-use, while concurrently sealing the container and preventing evaporation of volatile chemicals in the paint, varnish, or similar liquid, to the atmosphere.
2. Prior Art
As long as there have been structures, there has been paint covering, protecting, and decorating them. Be it in homes, business, industry, or the military, the eventuality of painting and repainting during building and maintenance of such structures must be faced by all.
Commercial painting in the last decade has come under increasing regulation by different federal and state agencies. In the ever vigilant quest to control air pollution, professional painters have been required increasingly to limit and/or cease allowing the evaporation into the atmosphere of volatile compounds in paint. The paint and the chemical reaction which allow paint to "dry" upon surfaces inherently allow for evaporation of liquefying agents contained in the pigment of the paint.
New government regulations are requiring that professional painters cover all containers completely when they are left unattended. Such regulations undoubtedly at some point will apply to homeowners and other such non professional painters.
This requirement of full containment of paint laden containers is intended to reduce the evaporation of volatile vapors in the paint in the container into the atmosphere when the pain container is left unattended. A vexing problem for professional painters under the ever more stringent regulations is what to do with the painting implements such as brushes and rollers during breaks for lunch, meetings, or until the next days work.
In prior years environmental concerns regarding evaporation were not an issue when storing paint utensils and paint during non use. When the container of paint was left for a short period, it was covered with a rag or other manner with the roller or brush on top of the container or submerged in the paint in the container with the top off to all for the extended handle. Volatile vapors from the paint were allowed to evaporate into the atmosphere. However, under new and more stringent government guidelines such as the Environmental Protection Agency rules regarding paint and volatile liquids, full containment is required of vapors from the paint to prevent evaporation of the vapors into the atmosphere.
Consequently, even if left for a short lunch or break, the professional painter is required to seal the container during his or her absence. Sealing a conventional 5 gallon or 1 gallon paint container leaves no room to accommodate the roller or paint brush of a length longer than the container is tall. As such, professional painters, in order to leave their position for lunch or even a short break, under new regulations, must make some accommodation for the brush or roller when the paint container is sealed such that the roller or brush does not dry out and need cleaning or worse replacement.
Cleaning brushes and rollers just to take a short break is not only time consuming, it wastes paint and may actually contribute more pollution to the environment in the form of wasted paint being washed from the paint brushes and rollers. Further, nightly cleaning of brushes and rollers also wastes paint and the valuable professional's time which could be better spent applying paint to needed areas rather than removing paint from brushes and rollers and other utensils.
Some prior art attempted to solve storage problems of painting utensils in the past when extreme vigilance was not required due to lax environmental standards.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,779,018 (Smallwood) teaches an elastic paint container cover for a paint brush. Smallwood requires the elastic cover to be larger than the can it is to seal. It would not be easily used upon large five and ten gallon conventionally used paint containers and would require replacement of the factory provided lid. As such containers are generally refilled and recycled, replacing the factory lid would inhibit this recycling through lost lids. Further the large diameter of five and ten gallon commercial containers would render the even larger elastic lid of Smallwood fragile and easily damaged or distended into the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,061 (Bedrossian) teaches a paint container with a rectangular mouth and lid for sealing a roller inside when not in use. Bedrossian requires the transfer of paint from the commercial containers commonly used and into the separate container for sealing thus requiring the extra step of emptying the conventional container therein. Bedrossian thus inhibits the commercial standard for painting which uses factory containers themselves as paint disbursement containers and requires doubling the number of containers in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,137 (Kyllonen) teaches a rectangular tray with cover as a separate container to be used for application of paint to surfaces. Kyllonen requires doubling the number of containers in use by requiring a separate container from the conventionally used factory container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,210 (Embree) features a lid with a chamber for holding a brush therein. Embree however requires the use of a special adapter and cover which replace the factory provided recyclable cover in use conventionally. Further, Embree would require constant cleaning due to the sealing of the brush horizontally inside a brush container during non use instead of allowing the paint to drain into the container.
As such, there exists a need for a device which will allow for containment of and prevention of the evaporation of volatile solvents contained in paint, varnish, and other liquid coatings used for protection and decoration, while not requiring the cleaning of painting utensils each time the container is left unattended. An additional need exists for such a device that would allow overnight or longer term storage of painting utensils while concurrently eliminating the wasted time and higher costs which occur from cleaning of utensils when they are to be left for a long period of time prior to reuse. A further need exists for such a device that is easily attachable to conventionally used paint containers with no modification to the containers being required thus augmenting the ease of use of such containers without modification thereto.